Gone So Young
by ohmicaiah
Summary: Their teammate left on a mission, and didn't come back alive. Griefridden, Naruto goes to Sasuke for comfort, but finds more. Oneshot. Written based on the song Gone So Young by Amber Pacific.


This takes place in Konoha, a year or so after the timeskip. I've played around with the storyline, and when they go to retrieve Sasuke, they're able to bring him back. This story contains mainly SasuNaru, with hints of NaruSaku and SasuSaku

Disclaimer: Naruto and all its characters belong to Kishimoto Masashi. Story belongs to me.

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She was dead. She was really dead.

The blonde wiped even more tears from his eyes as he sat on his bed. One of his best friends and the girl he had crushed on for years was dead.

Haruno Sakura had recently had her 17th birthday, having become a Jounin the previous year after helping Uzumaki Naruto retrieve Uchiha Sasuke from the Sound village. They had needed her medical skills for a mission. She went off in high spirits, a smile on her face as she waved goodbye to Naruto. She came back a week later, he cold, lifeless body carried by one of her comrades.

The funeral had been that morning, and now Naruto sat in his room, still trying to accept the fact that she was dead.

_She's too young... Her birthday was only a week ago... It's not fair... And she said she'd go on a date with me when she got home..._

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_I never dreamt it'd be this way_

_I've lost any chance for me to say_

_To say that I miss you, say that I love you_

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A knock on the door brought the Uchiha back to earth. He sat up, then stood from his bed and made his way to the front door.

It was Naruto. "Hey, Sasuke..."

He was about to shut the door in his face when he noticed the tears in the blonde's eyes. He opened the door wider and stepped a bit to the side. "Come on in, we can talk..."

Naruto smiled just slightly, but it was bittersweet, and he stepped into his friend's home, taking off his sandals as the Uchiha closed the door.

"... So she's really gone...?" He couldn't look at Sasuke as he asked this, his gaze on the floor.

"... Yeah, she's gone," he answered, voice and features soft.

Naruto's hug was so sudden that it took Sasuke a few moments to notice it, and he flushed as the blonde cried into his shoulder. He put his hands on the younger boy's shoulders to push him away, but then, without him knowing, his body changed tactics and his arms wrapped loosely around the blonde.

"... It'll be okay..."

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_Will someone please tell me I'm okay?_

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The two boys had now moved to Sasuke's living room, and sat on opposite ends of the couch, facing eachother.

"Sasuke, you know you miss her," Naruto said.

The Uchiha was silent. That was true, he did miss her. But he didn't want to let anyone know that he cared about one of his 'fangirls'.

"... Remember our first time taking the Chuunin exams?" Naruto asked, "And how she took care of us after our first fight with Orochimaru?"

"Yeah, I remember," Sasuke said. He smirked. "Remember your surprise last week at her birthday party when she promised you a date?"

Naruto frowned at this. "... But I'll never get to have that date..."

Sasuke frowned now. Wrong thing to bring up.

"... I should go home, sorry I bothered you." Naruto stood to leave.

"No, you can stay," Sasuke said quickly, and then was surprised by what he had just said.

The blonde looked at him, and eyebrow raised in question.

"... I'm sorry, I'll be more careful from now on."

He sat down again, still a bit curious. _He's acting kind of weird..._

_What the hell is wrong with me?_ Sasuke thought.

"Um... You want something to eat...?" the Uchiha asked after an awkward silence settled.

"Got any ramen?"

"Shoulda known..." Sasuke stood, walking away and into the kitchen.

Naruto decided to wait where he was.

_Today's been so confusing..._

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_I wasn't prepared for what's to come_

_A life made of memories gone so young_

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It was starting to get dark, and it was a nice night out, so Sasuke had suggested going out to the porch to talk.

Naruto watched as fireflies flew around in the darkness, blinking every now and then.

"... Why did you let us bring you back?" the blonde asked quietly after a few minutes of content silence.

The question caught Sasuke off guard. He hadn't been asked it before, so had no answer prepared for this time. He ended up blurting out the truth.

"I came back for you and Sakura."

"What about the rest of your friends?"

"... Who says I only came back for you because I thought of you as friends?"

Naruto may be stupid, but not so stupid as to not catch what Sasuke was getting at. "So you admit it? You really do care about Sakura as much as she cared about you?"

"Yeah, I guess so." Sasuke wasn't used to being so open about his feelings. He didn't usually have anyone to talk to about them.

"And what about me?" Naruto watched a firefly, trying to keep his eyes off of the boy next to him. "You said you came back for both Sakura and me. What about me?"

Sasuke was silent for a moment, watching the same firefly Naruto was watching. He watched it until it landed on his nose, and then brushed it away.

Naruto caught it before it landed on his own nose, opening his hands and looking at it, watching it glow.

"... I guess you could say that I care about you, too..."

The firefly flew away.

"Then what was with the acting like you hate me all these years?"

"Can you imagine how people would react to the heir to the famed Uchiha clan falling in love with an outcast idiot, who also happens to be another boy?"

"... Yeah, I see what you mean."

"They'll probably still feel that way now, though... It was pointless to act like I hated you, I should have just gotten it over with, told you how much I like you, and ignored all the stares and whispers..." Sasuke sighed. "... I'm sorry I waited so long."

"I'm sorry, too."

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_And now I'm regretting all I've done_

_But in your heart know that I'm with you all along_

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Sasuke still wasn't awake enough to roll over. "Naruto...?"

The blonde mumbled something incoherent.

The Uchiha sighed, gathering his strength and rolling over so he faced Naruto. His eyes were closed, his breathing soft and even. Still asleep.

Sasuke sat up, letting the sheets pool in his lap. _Maybe I should call in sick and not go on the mission... Sakura was just killed on her mission, he'd be worried sick if I left for a mission so soon..._

There was a knock on the door.

He sighed and located some boxers and a shirt, putting both on and leaving Naruto to sleep on as he answered the door.

It was Shikamaru. "G'morning, Sasuke."

Sasuke just nodded in response.

"Good news and bad news."

"Good news first."

"All right, your mission was cancelled, so you can sleep more if you need it." _And he looked like he needs it..._ Shikamaru got to wondering what the boy had been doing last night.

"And the bad news would be...?" Sasuke raised an eyebrow. _Nothing about Naruto, nothing about Naruto..._

"We can't find Naruto."

_Dammit. _"Why do you need to find him?"

"We need him for a different mission."

"... Well, he's not feeling well, and wouldn't be able to go."

"So he's here?" Shikamaru was starting to form a picture of the night before.

"Yeah, he's sleeping on the couch in the living room," Sasuke lied, hoping that Shikamaru wouldn't ask to go see.

"All right. When he wakes up, if he feels better, tell him to go to the Hokage's office," Shikamaru instructed.

"Will do." Sasuke shut the door, turning and starting toward his room.

_I'd rather not go through with explaining the truth..._ Shikamaru thought as he started down the street to the Hokage's office.

"I was waiting for you to come back," Naruto mumbled as Sasuke climbed into the bed next to him.

"I was only at the front door."

"I still waited."

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_Wherever you go I will be waiting_

_Whenever you call I will be there_

_Whatever it takes I'll make your darkest days so bright_

_I'm in your heart tonight_

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Sasuke kissed Naruto on the forehead as the blonde started to fall asleep again. "I'll make breakfast and come and wake you up."

Naruto managed a slight nod, thought he probably had only heard 'breakfast' and 'wake'.

The Uchiha climbed out of bed, locating his boxers once more and putting them back on. He glanced at the clock. Almost noon. A little late for breakfast, but oh well.

Sasuke was at the stove five minutes later.

"Sasuke!"

It was Naruto.

Sasuke dropped what he was doing, leaving the kitchen and heading to his room.

"I-I... I saw her die..." Naruto was sitting at the head of the bed, his legs tangled in the sheets. "I couldn't save her..."

Sasuke frowned, sitting next to him on the bed. "It's okay... No one could save her... But I'm sure they tried..."

"I know that..." Naruto hugged him, recieving a hug in return. "I can stay here, right...? I won't have to leave the house...? And you'll stay here with me...?"

Sasuke rubbed his back softly. "... Yeah, we'll stay here... You don't have to go out until you're ready..."

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_I never thought that this could go_

_And take me away from all I know_

_And leave me to think I'm on my own_

_But your love will take me, you were the one_

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The two boys sat on the porch again, Sasuke with his arm wrapped around Naruto's shoulders and holding him close as they watched the fireflies.

"I don't want to watch her die again," Naruto said softly.

"You shouldn't have to," Sasuke said, "We can stay up all night, and you can tell me about it, and I'll try to make sure you don't have to watch it again."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

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_Who sat through nights you held me tight_

_And made sure I'm okay_

_And I thank you for the love you gave to me_

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"You can't go on a mission!"

"I have to, I don't get a say in it." Sasuke shouldered his pack, looking at Naruto.

"You said you'd stay!"

"I promise I'll come home."

"That's what Sakura said! And now she's dead! I don't want you to die, too!"

Sasuke silenced Naruto with a kiss, brushing blonde hair from his face as he did so.

"I'll come home, I promise."

"Alive?"

"Alive. Since you want it that way."

"It's not funny, I'm serious." Naruto frowned.

"I'm sorry."

"I'll wait for you at the gate every day until you come home."

"I'll hold you to that."

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_Wherever you go I will be waiting_

_Whenever you call I will be there_

_Whatever it takes I'll make your darkest days so bright_

_I'm in your heart tonight_

_Tonight_

_Wherever you go I will be waiting_

_Whenever you call I will be there_

_Whatever it takes I'll make your darkest days so bright_

_Wherever you go I will be waiting_

_Whenever you call I will be there_

_Whatever it takes I'll make your darkest days so bright_

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It had been a week since Sasuke left. The sun was setting in Konoha, and Naruto was falling asleep as he stood at the gate, leaning back against it. _A week was supposed to be the maximum... He promised he'd come home..._ He let himself slide to a sitting position, still leaning back against the gate. His eyes closed, and he dozed off.

Mostly asleep, he could just barely register the fact that he was lifted up, and then whoever or whatever picked him up had started moving. It took all that was left of his energy to get himself to wake up and open his eyes.

Sasuke.

"Go back to sleep," the familiar voice said. His face had a few scratches and bruises, but other than that he seemed fine.

Naruto smirked softly. Sasuke was okay. He could rest now. He closed his eyes, snuggling into the warmth that was his boyfriend and soon dozing off once more.

Sasuke didn't care about the stares he received as he walked down the street to his home. He could hear the whispers almost as if they were spoken to him.

"Sasuke and Naruto?" "He's gay?" "How could he fall for someone like that?"

_Yes. Yes. And surprisingly easily. _Sasuke smirked as he answered the questions in his thoughts.

Once in his home, he went to his room, laying the blonde on the bed. He didn't even bother with a shower, deciding to take one in the morning. He climbed in next to his boyfriend.

"I love you," he said softly, kissing the blonde on the cheek.

Naruto mumbled something in reply:

"I love you, too."

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_And if I should fall I know you're waiting_

_And if I should call I know you're there_

_If ever you cry just know I'm in your heart tonight_

_I'm in your heart tonight_

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**A/N: **Well, this is the second fanfic I've ever written, and at the moment I'm proud of it. Of course, I was proud of my first fanfic, too, but then I realized how much it sucked. I hope I'll be proud of this one for a long time. Let me know what you think, tell me if I should write more SasuNaru. And just a note: I don't like SasuSaku or NaruSaku AT ALL, but I hinted at them because it helped with the story, in my opinion. And now that I read this over again, maybe I should have added more fluff and stuff, but I'll just see how other people react to it.


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